cereal or bread? wich is healthier?

[eveliendb]

I think the title says it all ...

I've been wondering about this question for quite some time now.
What do you think? Are the slogans for 'more wheat' and 'vitamins' true or it just some sales trick?

Is cereal as healthy or maybe healthier than bread?

[WanderingOak]

Offhand, I would say that bread is healthier than processed cereal, unless you are talking about rolled oats, etc. I have heard tell of a study done on rats. One group of rats was fed a steady diet of breakfast cereal, a second control group was fed commercial rat food, and a third group was fed cardboard (I know it's not a test a goup of high-consciousness scientists would participate in). Of course, the cardboard-eating rats died from malnutrition. However, what surprised the researchers was that the rats eating the breakfast cereals died first. They had all of the symptoms of diabetes before they died. You can take this with however many grains of salt you think you might need...

[Dimitry]

I think it also depends on the kind of cereal you eat no? I buy organic cereal from Costco and it seems like it's high quality stuff. It's made by Nature’s Path - Nurturing People, Nature & Spirit

This is the one that I usually get: Optimum Power™

[Athena]

neither!

go for super colorful fruits and vegetables instead!!

[stephencp]

I like organic, sprouted (albeit not raw) breads and cereals from Food For Life

Neither is inherently more healthy, it depends on what kind of bread and cereal. Most are refined simple carbs and sugar.

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[rossio]

I agree with Stephen.

If you are talking normal, run of the mill cereals and breads, then hmmm probably the bread, but I would go with neither.

However, there are a million different points on the scale with some of kelloggs chocolate covered cereals right down to yeast free, gluten free museli or oat based cereals and then highly processed cheap white bread at one end and organic sprouted bread at the other.

If you are going for breads, I would either go for a sprouted bread or a dark rye - and for cereals, something that is gluten and yeast free.

Oh, but then it depends on what you put on your bread or cereal...

Hmmmm, sometimes life is too complicated!!!



Ross

[youcould2]

Whichever you choose -- make sure it's 100% whole wheat and low sugar content. That will get you away from most of the simple carbs which aren't really food at all.

Shanti,

Ron

[DQueens]

cereal generally has less calories and fat and more fibre.

It depends on what type of cereal you eating, however. someone mentioned nature's path. I also like kashi, and the kellog's all bran franchise of cereals.

The study with the rats did not seem too scientific. What kind of cereal were the rats fed and what was in the rat feed? I'm sure no one expects to be optimally healthy eating ONLY cereal for every meal, especially if said cereal is one of those sugar-saturated-cartoon-character-marshmallow types...

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by DQueens

cereal generally has less calories and fat and more fibre.

It depends on what type of cereal you eating, however. someone mentioned nature's path. I also like kashi, and the kellog's all bran franchise of cereals.

The study with the rats did not seem too scientific. What kind of cereal were the rats fed and what was in the rat feed? I'm sure no one expects to be optimally healthy eating ONLY cereal for every meal, especially if said cereal is one of those sugar-saturated-cartoon-character-marshmallow types...

I believe the cereal was corn flakes. The kind with the rooster on the box, not the tiger...

[knave]

Cereals are fortified with a lot of vitamins and minerals you won't get from bread. Although they carry the scary "processed" quality, I'd say a bowl of cereal is more nutricious, overall, than a couple slices of the best whole grain bread you can find, especially when you add a few ounces of milk.

[eveliendb]

Originally Posted by knave

Cereals are fortified with a lot of vitamins and minerals you won't get from bread. Although they carry the scary "processed" quality, I'd say a bowl of cereal is more nutricious, overall, than a couple slices of the best whole grain bread you can find, especially when you add a few ounces of milk.

That's what I thought. Plus, cereal tastes better too!

[Wanderer]

I read a study in 'this week' a few days ago, explaining that white bread can cause cancer...
I probably eat 8 slices a day on average, which isnt good!
I would eat wholemeal, but as I still live at home we only get white bread, and Im too tight to go buy wholemeal ahhh well, we only live once

[John Hill]

Hi Eveliendb,

If you are looking to lose weight you really want to stay away from most types of bread, especially white bread. On the glysemic index white bread is rated similarly to sugar. This means when you ingest bread into your system it turns to glucose at the same rate as sugar. This gives you an insulin spike and a sudden and short burst of energy followed by a tired and lethargic feeling.

Cereal in the form of untoasted muesli or oatmeal is rated much lower on the glycemic index and gives you a slow release and long lasting energy boost. The cereal in this way would be considered more healthy than bread.

You can read many health and fitness related articles and other material at Universe Of Success

Hope this helps,
John

[Jaben]

Vitamin and nutrient content doesn't necessarily make something good for you unless it provides a complete set of naturally occuring undamaged nutrients that your body can easily absorb and utilize without adding additional material that is difficult for your body to handle. The only way to truly ensure this is to eat unprocessed, whole, raw foods.

Bovine reproductive secretions are great if drunk straight from the utter by a calf, but when consumed by a human cow's milk depletes the body of calcium in the process of detoxification and it builds up mucus in the intestines that blocks absorption of nutrients not to mention the puss and antibiotics from treating mastitis nor the peer reviewed scientific research linking cow's milk protein consumption in rats and humans to cancer and heart disease outlined in the China Study.

Sprouted buckwheat makes a great cereal eaten with raw almond milk. If you want to make wheat bread use the Essene recipe.

[Conan Stevens]

Easy answer - UNPROCESSED NATURAL FOODS win over manufactured foods every time - not too hard a concept.

Bread = manufactured
Cereals = coco pops, corn flakes, etc? = manufactured
Unprocessed Cereals = Good.

BRead flour is so processed that it has a higher glycemic index than sugar - so how the heck is that going to be good for you?

[bylto]

Very true Conan. The only bread I will eat is 'Burgen - soya and Linseed' (not sure if you can get this in the US), it is Low GI. I hardly ever eat cereal as the sugar content is too high, Tesco Bran Flakes are the only ones I know that are Low GI. eveliendb just try to avoid all things processed, thats what I do and I am healthy and keep a low body fat percentage all year round, 7-8% in the summer and 12% in the winter months.

[eveliendb]

Thanks everybody for your reactions. Just one more question: How can I be sure the cereal is unprocessed?

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by eveliendb

Thanks everybody for your reactions. Just one more question: How can I be sure the cereal is unprocessed?

Basically, if the cereal has flakes, puffs, marshmallows, or comes in odd shapes, then it is processed. The best unprocessed cereal that I can think of is oatmeal. Cold cereals are pretty much a convenience food, with the grains being cooked and processed before being dehydrated and shipped to the market. I have had fresh-rolled oatmeal with milk. It was tasty, although I have heard tell that raw oatmeal isn't exactly the easiest food to digest.

[Conan Stevens]

Originally Posted by eveliendb

Thanks everybody for your reactions. Just one more question: How can I be sure the cereal is unprocessed?

If it comes from the ground or direct fom an animal it is healthy. Anything changed, or added is not healthy.

Pizza, burgers and soda were not grown on a farm so don't eat it.

Or another way to think about it - was this food available when your grandfather was a child?